


we keep this love in a photograph

by yvie



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, fluffy boyfriends, just pure sugary fluff, non-au, photographer boyfriend johnny
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-16
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-06-11 08:52:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15311898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yvie/pseuds/yvie
Summary: When you're having an artistic rut, having a photographer boyfriend helps a lot.(Based off of Ten and Johnny sharing a room for the SM Workshop in Pyeongchang, and Ten saying that Johnny ignited the flame in him in their VLive.)





	we keep this love in a photograph

**Author's Note:**

> a small break from the pirate au. johnten have taken my heart and stomped on it so here's some tooth-rotting fluff for you all. this is based off of ten saying that johnny ignited the fires in his heart and made him buy a camera, thus johntentography was born. i hope you all like it <3

_ Passion: _

Johnny was always a man of many passions. He was a singer - he loved singing since he was young. He loved to dance, even though he was afraid of it at first because he was just such a large man. He loved music, his hands would naturally just glide along the piano and sooner or later he would already be playing some of Mozart’s masterpieces. 

Ten was also a man of many passions. Arguably one in the same vein as Johnny, but what was different between the both of them was that Ten knew what he was good at, but he did not want to settle at just that. He already had dancing, singing, art, those things he’s already mastered. He’s witty as well; his sense of humor is on point.

These days Ten felt a certain grey area in his life. There was something… missing. 

He was experiencing some sort of artistic block in his life. Whenever he danced, it just wouldn’t feel right. One night, he was the only one left in the practice room, rehearsing his tap dancing. The Dreamies had all gone to bed because of curfew, and even when the kids wanted him to go to sleep with them, Ten just couldn’t allow himself to stop when he hasn’t perfected the dance. 

On the large mirror, he watched himself move. His arms were locked on his hips as he tried to smack the metal in his sole in time to the beat. Tap dancing was difficult, for there was a certain precision to be found in the footwork that no other dancing style had, or at least that he’s tried. If Ten couldn’t perfect it, then who will the Dreamies look up to then? 

Heel. Toe. Heel. Heel. Toe.

Ten tried this multiple times, trying to perfect the rhythm over and over, as their instructor had taught them, but he couldn’t get things right at all. He took his cap off and threw it to the ground in frustration. With a groan, he slumped against the mirror and gave himself a little water break. His arms were on his knees, and his head was down. The sweat from his nose dripped down to the floor, and he wiped it off with his sleeve. 

The practice door opened and Ten immediately jumped to his feet, thinking that it was a manager or something.

A peep of fluffy chestnut hair showed that it wasn’t exactly the manager, but someone just as important to Ten. His face brightened up and the frown on his face quickly metamorphosed into a bright, blinding smile.  

“John-hyung!” 

Ten saw his boyfriend and immediately ran up to him, like an excited fox jumping on its prey, ignoring the annoying  _ tap!  _ of his dancing shoes with every step he took. The younger bounced up, raising his arms so Johnny could take him into his big ones.  _ Boyfriend _ … that title was something that only he and Johnny knew about. They had decided upon it just before Ten had left for Bangkok, and Johnny went to film NCT Life in Seoul. 

Johnny had one of his arms wrapped tight around Ten’s small waist, and lifted him up a little so Ten would be on his tip toes - his other arm was holding something, which he struggled to balance. The smaller one’s arms were slung over his boyfriend’s neck, sniffing what remained of his expensive perfume. Johnny smelled like heaven meanwhile Ten was a smelly mess. They pulled away when Johnny patted him on the back.  

“I brought you milk tea,” said Johnny with his lips tugged up into a warm smile.

“For me?” Ten’s voice lilted higher, as he asked that. 

“Yeah, honeybun,” Johnny told him, in perfect English that always made Ten swoon. He handed the younger boy the plastic cup and the straw, which Ten received with an ill-concealed smile.

“You really shouldn’t have,” said Ten, in English as well.

Johnny shook his head, giggling. “The right thing to say would be “thank you,” baby.” 

“Thank you, baby,” Ten grinned as he raised himself up on the tips of his toes to give his boyfriend a well-deserved peck on the lips.  

Johnny was always so caring and thoughtful, Ten couldn’t get enough of it. He always knew when to cheer Ten up and  _ how.  _ There was one time Ten was lonely in his dorm room and Johnny visited him there so they could watch some anime movies on Netflix while cuddling. They spent the first half of the movie commenting on the characters’ decisions and how pretty the scenery was while the next half of the movie was spent on kissing each others’ faces off. Johnny was his constant - he was Ten’s best friend first before anything, and now they’re more than that.

Ten dragged Johnny down beside him to where he was sitting earlier against the mirror. He laid his head on his boyfriend’s shoulder as he drank the tea with the thick straw. There was a blanket of silence between them, but Ten found it calming instead of awkward. Ten nuzzled against his boyfriend’s sleeve, seeking attention like a kitten.   

“So, what’s the occasion?” Ten asked, looking up from Johnny’s arm.

The elder tapped the tip of Ten’s nose, before raising the arm that Ten was nuzzling into so he could pull the boy closer by the waist. They were always such a clingy couple - it was difficult for them to be apart of each other, and this situation on its own was proof enough. With every possible opportunity, they were always all over each other. Ten found no other place in the world that was more comfortable and calming than Johnny’s broad shoulders and muscular arms. 

“No occasion, just wanna shower my boyfriend with love.”

With that, Ten rubbed his head on Johnny’s chest like a loving cat, before finally resting his head on his boyfriend’s lap, his mouth still firmly clasped around the straw of his milk tea cup. He only hoped he was being a good boyfriend to Johnny, seeing as the boy was exerting so much effort and thoughtfulness that Ten could reciprocate if only he had the knowledge on how to. Johnny brushed back Ten’s long fringe with his fingers, so he could see the boy’s face better.

“And I also wanna know what’s up with you,” Johnny told him as he spun a lock of Ten’s hair along his finger. “I feel like there’s a grey cloud above you.”

Ten’s face tilted upwards, eyes widening, surprised that Johnny caught him that easily. He put the half-finished cup of milk tea on the floor before moving to his side, suddenly shy. If there’s anyone in the world who could read him so easily, it was Johnny. It was always Johnny.

“And here I thought I was being good at hiding,” Ten rubbed the tip of his rose with a finger. “I didn’t wanna bother you about it.”

“With that, babe?” 

“Well!” Ten swung himself upwards to a sitting position, not looking at Johnny. “I’m in a rut, John-hyung.”

Johnny shifted his position, not taking his eyes off of Ten. “Why so?” 

Ten sucked in a breath, his hands were in front of him as he said, “I’m… not sure.”

“Maybe you just need inspiration?” Johnny picked up the cup from the floor and handed it to Ten. “Or a break.” 

The younger took the cup from Johnny and geared his head to the side a little, so his boyfriend could see the smile on his face, which quickly disappeared.

“I’ve never been more driven, John-hyung,” he told the man in English. “But I also feel like I’m… constrained. Like I’m working, but all I see is cogs and gears. Like, I’m doing so many things but I’m stuck.” 

“Well… maybe you need to ignite that fire in your heart.” 

Ten spun around, confused. “What do you mean?”

The elder dragged himself closer to his boyfriend, so they were but an arm’s length apart. “First and foremost, you need to give yourself a breather. We have the SM workshop coming up, so at least you’ll be able to focus on something that’s not work.”

At the mention of the workshop, Ten’s eyes lit up. “We’re going to share a room, aren’t we?”

Johnny nodded, his fluffy hair bounced up and down. Ten slid his arms around Johnny’s sides and rested his head on the man’s broad chest. 

“Sounds perfect,” said Ten, his body loosening against his boyfriend’s warmth.

With a hand on Ten’s hair, Johnny said, “Now, let’s get going before someone catches us here.” 

***

The SM Workshop was at Pyeongchang this year, and it was the cusp of summer. The air was getting hot but there was still a little bit of a chilly breeze in the air. They were told to dress light. Ten came in a short-sleeved beige shirt, and Johnny was wearing a cardigan, for some strange reason. As usual, of course, he was beautiful.

In the bus ride to the hotel, he and Johnny were seated beside each other. The rest of the NCT members were all around them. Taeyong and Jaehyun were in front of them, while Jungwoo and Lucas were behind them. Lucas was yelling about something and Jungwoo was there to shush him - they were a pair that complimented each other well. 

When they crossed some rice fields, Johnny immediately reached into his bag and took out his camera. Ten watched him as he continuously pressed on the shutter, his eyes deep in focus. What could he be taking pictures of? The sky, or the field? Perhaps Johnny saw something that Ten couldn’t see, and wanted to encapsulate it in a photograph.

“What are you taking a photo of, John-hyung?” asked Ten, resting his chin on the man’s shoulder. 

Johnny smiled at him. “I want my photographs to capture the beauty that I can see.”

Then, Johnny pointed the camera at him to quickly take a picture. Ten was flustered and drew back, blushing. He was giggling, and so was Johnny. The elder kept taking photographs of Ten, snapping away, but Ten covered the lens with his hand, laughing.

“Not so close! I’m not wearing any makeup right now.”

“Doesn’t matter. You have amazing skin, anyway.” 

Johnny kept capturing him, and Ten had to cover his face with his hand. His face was a bit red from embarrassment, but there was some kind of ease to it too as time went on. Eventually, he was starting to get used to it, Johnny taking extreme close-ups of him. Instead of the scenery outside the bus, he was Johnny’s subject.

“And what do we have here?” 

Their heads snapped up to the sound of the voice behind them. It was Lucas, of course, who was resting his elbows up their seats to get a view of the both of them. Jungwoo was pulling down Lucas’s shirt.

“Lucas,” urged the boy with the soft voice, “don’t disturb them!”

Lucas was too hyped up to really care whether he was disturbing them or not, instead he leaned closer. “Hey, Johnny-hyung. Do you think you can take a photos of me?” 

The elder pointed the camera lens at Lucas’s face and snapped a photo of his nose. 

“Yep!” Johnny said with a playful lilt in his voice. “Here?”

Lucas whipped his head from side to side, as if swatting away a bug. “No, hyung! Somewhere nice.”

Ten was beaming at the entire exchange. Lucas was always an interesting personality to him, the both of them matched energies sometimes.

“Make me and Lucas your official models, hyung,” quipped Ten as he linked fingers with the younger boy. Lucas nodded in agreement.

“Alright,” said Johnny. “We’ll do a photoshoot together.” 

But when Johnny said this, he was staring directly at Ten. The younger tried to act natural, as if there was nothing suggestive about what Johnny said. Jungwoo finally had enough of his best friend and pulled him back to the seat. Lucas followed gladly. 

Johnny stuffed the camera back into his bag, and they spent the rest of the bus ride asleep. Their hands were laced together but Ten could only hope no one thought anything romantic of it. He was a naturally clingy person and everyone knew that Ten loved Johnny the most. From the start, Johnny was Ten’s favorite person. 

***

The moment they arrived in their room, Ten shrugged his bag off his shoulder and stretched up, up until his muscles were loose from all the sitting in the bus. Johnny did the same as well, before taking out his camera again. He was so attached to the thing.

“Ten! Look. The scenery is so pretty!” 

The room they had overlooked the mountains. There was a seat by the window which Johnny kneeled in as he took many pictures of the view. Johnny’s now long hair fell naturally onto the edge of the camera, framing his round face. Ten’s heart felt warm as he watched his boyfriend be so engrossed in his passions.

He slumped into the bed with a thud, his arms stretched out on the soft blanket. The hem of his shirt was slightly raised and he never really had the care to pull it down. 

Johnny noticed that Ten did this and said, “Wait. Freeze. Stay there.” 

And so, Ten did, moving his face a little so it could be seen by the camera. Johnny raised the device to his eye and snapped a photograph of Ten on the bed.

“You look so soft,” Johnny told him.

“Do I?” Ten murmured, before a sneaky smile creeped up to his face. “What’s the concept for the photoshoot today?” The tone in his voice was cocky, but Johnny received all of it with a soft grin.

“How about… “Call Me By Your Name?”” 

Ten’s mouth fell open. He’s seen that movie, of course. The gay one, and he was engrossed the whole time watching it. Not only the love story, but the scenery. He admired how pretty everything was -- the people, the places. The entire film felt soft, it felt tender. It was all intimate, though there was a sense of sadness throughout all of it. 

“Ten?” The younger teased, referencing a scene in the movie, where the two main characters called each other by the other’s names. It was supposed to be romantic, but in real life it was just weird.

“Johnny?” The elder teased back, smiling. “Pose for me.”    

So Ten did. He turned to his side in the bed, staring directly into Johnny’s camera. He aimed for a long that exuded a soft feeling, that if the fans would see the pictures their hearts would go warm. They experimented with many poses, but nothing too extravagant. Just Ten in bed, looking provocative and vulnerable at the same time. Johnny would always hype him up to make him feel more confident, so there was no awkwardness. Only two boyfriends who loved each other very much. 

After a while, as Johnny was shuffling through the photos he took through the viewfinder, Ten felt there needed to be a change of position. They had spent too much time with him on the bed, so he wanted to amuse himself with something else lest he fall asleep. He stood up and took Johnny’s cardigan. The piece of clothing fit Johnny perfectly, but for Ten it was too big - but just the right amount of snuggly and warm. They gave him sweater paws too, which always added for cuteness. 

“Hey babe,” Ten murmured, rubbing his nose with the sweater paw, “can I borrow your phone? I need to AirDrop some photos.” 

Johnny pulled his phone out of his pocket, typed out the passcode quickly, then handed it to Ten with a soft smile. 

“Here you go, baby,” he told him.

Ten reached for the phone with a sleeve-covered hand and headed over to the seat by the window. He sat without any care for posture. His feet were up, his back was slumped against the wall. He was probably showing his little double chin too for all he cared. He didn’t mind, he knew Johnny found him beautiful still. 

He scrolled through Johnny’s gallery  and found many pictures there, shots of skies, of mundane objects that aren’t beautiful but end up to be thanks to Johnny’s talent with photography. There were pictures of bikes arranged side by side. There were pictures of the 127 members in LA, smiling and laughing. Johnny was able to capture the warmth of the scene with only his camera. 

Ten was deep in thought, when suddenly he heard the shutter of Johnny’s camera go off.

“Ah! Hyung,” Ten whined, pouting. He wasn’t ready for a shot, after all. “I must look terrible.”

Johnny wasn’t listening, he was busy checking the photo on his viewfinder. He huffed out a breath, and Ten wasn’t sure if he was impressed with his photography skills or how beautiful his boyfriend was. 

“Yeah? Look at this.” 

Johnny showed Ten the photo, as if showing off the most spectacular thing he had captured in his device, and Ten did not understand his boyfriend’s point. 

“So?” asked Ten with a raised eyebrow.

“You look really domestic.” 

Johnny sat down next to Ten, and wrapped an arm around him, enclosing him in a tight embrace. 

“You like that?” Ten asked, grinning.

“I like you in every way, baby.” Johnny pressed a kiss on Ten’s nose. 

Ten reached forward, to take Johnny’s camera. 

“Can I try?” 

Johnny gave Ten his camera. The object felt foreign in Ten’s hands. He’s held a camera before, of course, but not any time recently. He pictures he took were always on his phone, and even that was rare. His boyfriend taught him how to operate it, so he would know where to press and capture. 

The younger raised the camera to Johnny’s face and he took a photo of the man’s eyes.

“What are you doing?” asked Johnny with a voice so soft but sultry, like roasted marshmallows.

“I want to take pictures of you too,” Ten whispered back. 

Johnny had his arm around Ten’s waist, which he used to pull his boyfriend closer until their faces were but a mere breath away from each other. Ten lowered the camera from his face and allowed his eyes to flutter shut as Johnny kissed him. 

It was tender, of course. And hot, because it’s them. Johnny pulled Ten close using the cardigan, and Ten climbed up to his boyfriend’s lap instead, to get the best seat there was in the entire room. They were being cheesy again, giggling between every kiss. The strap of the camera was still around Ten’s hand so he raised the device in front of Johnny’s face again.

“Say cheese, baby,” Ten said in a singsong manner. 

Johnny let out the biggest grin before Ten snapped a photo of him. He was no photographer like Johnny, but he knows that his boyfriend is sickeningly handsome, and he wanted the world to see that from his eyes. 

His eyes. His Johnny. 

Ten felt a burning in his chest, but not from eating too much. No, he felt it building up inside him. It was not unpleasant, it wasn’t strange. He put a hand on his heart, and his eyes lit up. 

“I found it,” Ten said.

Johnny titled his head to the side. “Found what?”

“My inspiration.” Ten bounced off of Johnny's lap and knelt in front of him to take another picture, “Now, show me a pose John-hyung.” 

 


End file.
